Following on from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, which opened this spring to give visitors an inside view of the making of Harry Potter, another Hollywood studio will be entering the UK attraction market, unveiling plans to build a £2bn. theme park near London.
The attraction is set to transform the Swancombe peninsula (a short, non-stop train ride from the heart of London), with the land chosen situated right next to Ebbsfleet International station, allowing visitors to step off the train and be immediately inside the complex, which is expected to be twice the size of the Olympic Park.
Not only will it be host to the rollercoaster rides expected of a theme park, it will also feature the biggest water park in Europe, as well as theatres, live music venues, cinemas, restaurants, and hotels. The development will create 27,000 jobs in the area, and regenerate the 872-acre site, the intended plans for which you can see below, via Kent Online.
The studio itself isn’t developing the project alone, with one source telling Deadline,
“This is not an investment situation and Paramount is not developing the project in a true sense,” the source said. “Paramount’s partners will lead the way, and the company will consult on their plans.”
London Resort Company Holdings has been set up to take charge on the project, signing a deal with Paramount Lincensing Inc., with studio properties like Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, and Transformers likely to be themed among the rides and attractions.
The aim is for the park to be opened in 2018, with the coming year set for developing the planning application:
“Over the next 12-18 months we will be progressing the planning application,” said Tony Sefton, the project’s leader, “while embarking on a wide-reaching programme of community consultation, [and] securing further commercial agreements with third parties. Our vision is to create a world-class entertainment destination, the first of its kind in the UK.”
For now, here’s an interactive look at what we can expect to see in the park. Click on the highlighted sections to see what is intended to be built where. Let us know your thoughts on the project in the comments below. Would you travel from within the UK or abroad to spend a holiday amongst Autobots and Decepticons?
